Positions have been open for two years and will bring police force up to full staffing

After years of leaving patrol officer positions open, Arlington Heights is hiring to fill five vacant spots and bring its police force up to full staffing.

Capt. Nicholas Pecora said the police agency had held off on hiring because of budget uncertainties.

"We didn't want to hire somebody and promise them a career here, then six months later, send them home," Pecora said.

The hiring process started again earlier this year thanks to a brighter economic forecast.

"As revenue streams leveled and (the finance department) assured us there were no pending or forecasted layoffs, the chief authorized moving forward with the hiring process," Pecora said.

About 200 applicants took the entrance test in January. The village's fire and police commission has been interviewing the top 45 candidates in closed sessions in September and October.

The hiring has already started.

One candidate has graduated from the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy and should be ready for solo patrol duties in January 2013.A second officer has begun academy training, while a third candidate is in the pre-employment process.

As for the other two vacant positions, the commission is establishing a new eligibility list later this month to fill those jobs. The testing cycle is every two years.

Over the last two years when the police force wasn't fully staffed, the department tapped into overtime to cover shifts while keeping patrol shifts at 8.5 hours each. The department kept within the overtime budget.

The number of sworn officers fell from 115 in 2005 to the current 109-member force. Those six positions were permanently eliminated as part of budget cuts. The five new patrol officers will bring the police department back up to 109 officers.